Relative Drink
by Winnow
Summary: Juugo offered to take Kazuma drinking. How could one say no to such a benefactor?


_Eyes as blue as the azure sky, that is the symbol of the contractor, entrusted by the spirit king of the wind with the powers of his domain. I bear this mark, the stigma of the wind._

* * *

"Another one!"

Another one? After having drink after drink, it was almost unbelievable to the bartender that this young man could still continue. The young man was clearly drunk, but not inebriated; he drank slowly, deliberately with a purpose that the bartender dared not to ask about while the tab slowly climbed. Yagami Kazuma, he was just a child still in his early twenties, but he was drinking like a man who had lost everything and maybe more. Entranced by the sight before him, the barkeep forgot about the tab, poured the only American beer he had, and delivered it.

This man was a strange one.

The barkeep identified the young man's clothes to be of a very expensive western style, something rarely seen, at least until Yagami Kazuma began appearing. The young man was of Japanese decent, he spoke with a formality found within a classical upbringing, but from his actions, his clothes, and even his choice of drink, it seems he wanted to leave his traditional past all behind. With many years of experience regarding patrons of the drink, this young man seemed to be lost, but not entirely without purpose, needing another soul to fill a void within his heart; or at least that's what the musings of an old man were. Even after multiple visits to his bar, the barkeep never asked the young man about himself. Sometimes a man just needed to be left alone, there was no reason for the barkeep to supply idle chatter with a man trying to escape from the world, but at the current moment, there was a tab to worry about.

"Going to pay for these any time soon?" Even though the question was asked, he didn't expect an answer from the young man. The words spoken had no value or worth. The young man always paid his tab. There was never a reason to worry. Shaking his head, the barkeep grabbed the used glass, setting it next to the other used dishes collected through the evening.

"Don't worry. My benefactor will be here soon," the young man replied playfully with a smirk, catching the old barkeep off guard by showing more emotion in one sentence than had been displayed in numerous nights of drinking.

Without realizing it, the old barkeep smiled. So, Yagami Kazuma was capable of more than a passive, emotionless state. There was hope for the young man after all. Hearing the bell signal another customer walking in, the barkeep welcomed his customer and was surprised to see an older man dressed in fine traditional clothes limp across the door's threshold. The newest customer stood very tall, his face cleanly shaven. Long gray hair demonstrated the man's age and wisdom, but his green eyes had a fire within, giving the newest man a feeling of power about him.

"Good evening, what can I get you?"

"Saké, please."

The bartender quickly went to get the order with a feeling of pride beginning to well up inside of him. His bar was not very large, just a little space tucked away in an ally. To see such a man visit his establishment, it raised his spirits. "I'll have it ready for you in a moment. Sit wherever you like."

"Thank you," the gentleman replied, smiling at the bartender before making his way to the bar.

With a light in his eyes he conversed the younger man. "I see you've started without me, Kazuma."

"I just couldn't resist, Juugo," answered Kazuma mirthfully, sparking a deep chuckle from the older man.

"I apologize for taking so long," the older man supplied while taking a seat next to his younger companion. "It seems there are still a few in the Kannagi family quick to question my judgment after all these years. I might have lost my leg, but I am still the head of the family. Hopefully next time they will not forget so easily."

It was Kazuma's turn to chuckle. Remembering how upset the Kannagi's were over his appearance and their frustration when Juugo let him waltz in after taking out twenty branch family members certainly provided Kazuma with a perspective for what the older man must have experienced when he explained that he was leaving. Were they truly so cowardly to fear being attacked while their two strongest fighters were away from the rest of the family? It was shameful, and Kazuma could not have enjoyed that fact even more if he tried.

"Did Ayano throw a fit?" Kazuma asked while taking another sip of his beer?

Before Juugo could respond, the barkeep dropped off the saké saying, "I take it you two know each other?"

"Ah, yes. This is my benefactor that I was telling you about," Kazuma supplied before taking another gulp of his beer, "so keep 'em coming, will you?"

The bartender looked skeptically at the older man who did nothing to deny the claim of his much younger companion. The incredulity that Kazuma associated with such a cheerful man, made the bartender raise and eyebrow when he heard the older man's reply.

"That is correct, I will be covering the bill tonight. Thank you for the saké."

In disbelief, the bartender shook his head and left the two alone saying that it wasn't his place to pry. As long as he got paid, he didn't particularly care where the money came from, but the bartender had to admit, he was glad that the kid he had seen coming in to drink his sorrows away at least had someone that cared for him. It was best to leave those two alone, besides the occasional refill, he decided to let the two men be.

When the bartender had provided ample space, Juugo obtained a hard look and faced Kazuma before replying, "Ayano knows nothing of this." Kazuma nodded, but the older man's stare did not cease. He loved his daughter dearly, and while a carefree man, Juugo was always serious when it came to her. "Speaking of my daughter, she says you tried to defile her."

Kazuma nearly choked on his drink before beginning to laugh. "Did she now? Or is it that she forgot when fighting powerful magic like Ryuuya's that the wards in her clothes wouldn't last?" Kazuma broke into another fit of laughter before turning back to his beer with a smirk seemingly plastered onto his face.

"That sounds like my daughter," Juugo admitted, sighing he took a sip of his rice wine before mentally filing away in his mind that it was in fact Kazuma that first mentioned Ayano and not himself. "It's good to see I was right. I had always known that you had the greatest potential among your generation."

"And you were always the most sensible among the Kannagi," Kazuma replied in turn, seemingly uninterested in the comment. He loved the praise, but he would not show it.

"Be honest with me Kazuma, why did you come back to Japan?" Juugo asked with his hard stare returning, demanding answer from Kazuma. "If not for revenge, for what purpose at all?"

Kazuma swirled the contents in his glass. What could he say? His time in Europe was finished for the moment, but why did he return to Japan? Why not America or some other place? He didn't have an answer. All he could offer was, "I don't know."

Juugo contemplated this information for a moment. It was unusual for Kazuma to not have a purpose, but he supposed it was not strange for a young man to become lost in his life. Growing into adulthood always meant finding your own path, and Juugo could tell that Kazuma was going through this struggle alone, without the support of any family or friends. Kazuma was a bright young man. He would figure out his path, but Juugo knew he could still help.

With a small smile, the older man said, "I'm glad you're back."

"Arigato, Soshu."

A calm rose between the two. Words weren't necessary at the moment. Only the feeling of companionship between a father and son sustained the tranquil atmosphere.

"You know, you always were like a father to me."

Even though the silence was broken, Juugo could not have been any happier.

"And like a son, you could not have made me more proud." Juugo had missed the relationship he shared with the boy, but even with wishful thinking, Kazuma was not his son. There were limits to their relationship, but…maybe that could change, and Kazuma could become the son he wanted. "Would you honor me by attending lunch tomorrow?

"For what purpose?" Kazuma asked skeptically. Juugo knew perfectly well that he wanted as little to do with the Kannagi as possible.

"The clan wants to celebrate its victory over the Fuga, but there would have been no victory without you." Juugo did not try to hide the purpose of the meal. Kazuma would have been more upset when he found out later, but this way Kazuma could hear him out, and plan his next course of action.

"It's that kind of display that caused your problems in the first place, Juugo. You know I cannot support the Kannagi."

As expected from Kazuma, he hated the foolish pride the Kannagi had developed over hundreds of years.

"I am not asking you to honor the Kannagi. I am asking you to honor me, and Ren would be very happy to see you again."

Kazuma stared at his father figure critically. He knew that Juugo wasn't being entirely sincere. Kazuma had reluctance regarding his past. He did not want to get close to the Kannagi as that part of his life was behind him. There was no going back to the days before his disinheritance, but Juugo was not a foolish person either. There was definitely a motive behind his insistence, and Kazama did acknowledge that Juugo was offering him the perfect opportunity to put the clan in their place. With a feeling of curiosity beginning to invade his thoughts, Kazuma voiced his answer.

"I'll think about it."

It was noncommittal, but Kazuma might as well said, "I'll be there."

Satisfied, Juugo downed his drink.

"Good, now let's drink some more!" Juugo practically yelled. He was beginning to feel the alcohol work its magic, and he was feeling very merry. "Now, tell me of some of your adventures. These past four years must have been very interesting considering you're the only person known to have a contract."

And so Kazuma did, sans some important details.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for taking the time to read this little piece. I'm intending for this one-shot to be my foray into a much longer story. Fans of Kaze no Stigma should have no trouble figuring out that this scene takes place right after the battle with Ryuuya.

As I said, I intend to write a much longer story for Kaze no Stigma to complete the series. I found a translation for a couple of the light novels, and I will be using them as my primary source, but the anime does a very good representation of the series, so I will be using it as well. This short story is mainly to highlight what I believe Kazuma's character to be like, and his relationship with Juugo according to the light novel. The light novel originally has Juugo offering to go drinking with Kazuma, so here's my interpretation of what happened. Please give me some of your insight into my characterizations of Kazuma. I would like to be as accurate as possible, because I want to write a realistic piece to tie up all of the loose ends.

Also, I have no idea when I'll publish the actual story. I'll add another chapter letting everyone know when I do. Betas are always appreciated.


End file.
